Trust Comes Easily to Some
by hisdarkdesire
Summary: "Orders are Orders," Jason's father would tell him. But never has he regretted and enjoyed orders before. She was smart, beautiful, and capable. And he was using her, just because of her stupid uncle, he couldn't do a thing to help her. Or could he? Jason(Nate) and Charlie
1. Honey and Water

_Author's Note: I just had to get this in. I've been stewing over Jason (Nate) and Charlie for a while now because they are just so interesting and I wanted to get inside Jason's head. I had to know his though process in this meeting. _

_I will be following the story, maybe fleshing out other scenes or writing up scenes we don't get to see in the show. _

_EDIT: Just Changed around a few things in this chapter, it needed to flow better near the end_

**Trust Comes Easily to Some**

**Chapter 1**

The crunch of footsteps on grass behind Jason alerted him that he wasn't alone. He tensed, cursing himself for taking his time stringing the recurve. Whoever was approaching didn't realize that he was on the other side of the stone wall. The steps were light, careless.

_ The girl?_ Jason thought, thinking of the colonel's orders about the Matheson girl. Honey colored hair flashed in the sunlight, confirming his suspicion. He continued as if he hadn't realized she was there, stretching the string, giving her a little time to get an impression of him, hopefully one he could work with.

"You know, most people just say good morning" Jason turned around, what he hoped was a charming grin on his lips. The girl looked down, embarrassed to be caught in her study of him.

She stuttered, showing her water bottles as a reason for her intrusion "I was.. uh.." She paused for a moment, before standing taller and meeting his eyes. "Good morning." She was smiling slightly, her blue eyes looked interested, but wary. _She's pretty_, he was surprised_. Very pretty._

"Good Morning." He leaned on his bow as a support. "I'm Nate" He gave her the name he had already decided on that morning. It sounded normal enough, but being able to say it out loud with such assurance surprised him. Jason thought for sure she would see right through his ruse.

She nodded once, "Charlie." With the introductions made, she looked more certain of herself and of the situation, if only a little bit, stepping forward.

_ And I'm in,_ Jason smirked on the inside. She was beautiful, and for the first time in several years he regretted having to be a soldier and follow commands. He didn't want to hurt her. _But orders are orders, and she's the only way I'll find Matheson._

"Where you headed, Charlie?" He asked, testing her "street smarts" as his father had called it.

She rocked back on her heels a bit and suspicion flashed in her eyes again. She raised her chin, and her knuckles tightened on the water bottles. "None of your business, Nate." She said it lightly, but there was a layer of threat and fear in her voice.

_She's a fast one, _Jason thought as he chuckled. She was good; he had to give her that. He wiped his grin, from his face but he was still laughing on the inside and he couldn't hide it. "That's true."

She still looked worried, but she tried to hide it. "I'm going to get some water," and she held up her water bottles again as proof. He watched her as she turned towards the water, her eyes darting up at him timidly before continuing to the edge of the water.

From those few minutes Jason could tell two things right off. Firstly, that she hadn't been far from her secluded village in quite a few years, due to the uncertainty she had in meeting a stranger and how quickly her guard came up and down. She was too trusting with some unknown stranger. Secondly, she was a hunter. She stepped around twigs and anything that might make too much noise without even thinking about it.

While he was watching her, something inside him rose up, surprising him. Guilt. He felt guilty for what happened to her family, what might happen to her.

Jason realized another thing. He was going to protect her. His orders may have been to capture her uncle, but she didn't deserve to be caught up in all this.

Charlie finished and stood up, tightening the caps on the plastic bottles. She glanced over at him before looking back up at the hill. "Well, I've got to get going. Thanks…" She started to walk up the hill again, where her companions were probably waiting.

"Charlie," he called, his voice turning her around to look back at him. "It was good to meet you. I hope I'll be seeing you again."

_A/N: Now that you've read it, Review it! Come on… you know you want to. _


	2. First Taste of Fear

_Authors Note:_

_Thanks for all the reads and reviews for my first chapter! I hope I'll be able to do this thing successfully!_

_Again, there's just so much I want to get in through Jason's eyes, because there's so much that he's doing off screen that we miss and I'm sure we want to see. Because hot dang that boy is attractive._

* * *

**Trust Comes Easily to Some**

**Chapter 2**

Following Charlie was not as easy as Jason thought it was going to be. She managed to get her companions packed and off in a matter of seconds. Soon, he found himself wandering in the woods alone, trying to find them with no luck.

"They can't possibly have gotten that far away," Jason said to himself, readjusting the straps of his pack. He followed what he hoped was their trail and not a deer's through the forest but Jason couldn't hear or see any sign of Charlie or her friends.

Soon, the sunset was filtering through the trees, the last rays of sunlight streaking between leaves and the sounds of animals getting ready for the night echoed through the forest. Finally, Jason reached the edge of the trees and looked out into a meadow. There were several fallen airplanes from before the blackout, covered in vines and dirt, nature having retaken the land.

The week after the blackout was one Jason would never forget. His friend, whose name Jason had given to Charlie and he were exploring through abandoned homes one day, a mile or so away from their homes when they came upon a fallen plane. Twisted metal parts and whole chunks of the plane were strewn across the park they had often played in. The air smelled like fire and chemicals, and there was a sick, rotting smell underneath. Jason and Nate were so young, so curious. They picked away through the debris towards the remainder of the plane, and crawled inside.

The stench was so strong that Jason had thrown up as soon as he was inside the plane, but Nate held off. He crawled further in, trying not to touch any of the bodies and sat in one of the seats and just looked at them. Nate didn't say a word, didn't make another move, he just looked at them and cried.

Some had burn marks all over, some he could see had bones sticking out from their skin. Others had limbs tangled in wrong directions. All of them were dead.

Jason had never felt more afraid, the consequences of the blackout hitting his young mind and forcing him to grow up, as his father wished. Fifteen years later and Jason still couldn't look at a plane without feeling sick, without the echoing smell of death filling his nostrils.

This plane was no different and Jason shuddered to think that somewhere in the abandoned air field, Charlie and company were probably making camp. Jason climbed the rusty chain-link fence, landing with a muffled thud and ran across the clearing, keeping low the ground. Night had completely fallen by this time, the moon the only source of light. Jason had hoped that Charlie's group would have lit a fire or something by which he could find them faster. _But Charlie's not stupid, she'd know better than to build a fire, something which could draw unwanted attention to her, Fatso, and Blondie. _

Voices cutting across the night air across the field, forced Jason to dive for cover behind a large crate. Three men were climbing into one of the planes. Their voices were sharp and stupidly confident, laughing too loudly and raucously. But they quieted, and he could hear their low tones from inside the plane. Jason pulled his recurve from around his shoulders and notching an arrow in case he needed to defend himself.

A woman's cry made Jason jump to his feet. The men were shouting and Jason could hear two women yelling in fear. One of the doors was open and two dark forms were struggling in the moonlight. He could see Charlie pressed up against the wall, fighting for her life as the man touched her, trying to under her belt.

_NO!_ Jason pulled the arrow past his ear and released, the arrow into the man's back and through his chest. The man dropped to the floor, choking on his final breath. Charlie looked out into the night at him breathing heavily, fear in her eyes. He lowered his bow, his jaw clenched and his heart pounding.

"Charlie! Charlie, are you alright!?" Her companion grabbed her, checking for injuries, while the other checked to see if the man was dead. Charlie was still watching Jason as she jumped down on the grass, walking slowly towards him.

Jason tensed, _She knows I'm following her. What will she think? _She looked so frightened, Jason wanted to go to her and tell her that everything was okay now, that he was there to protect her. He didn't say anything, however, his jaw still flexed tightly shut as she approached, stopping just a few feet away from him.

She smiled a sad little smile, still too terrified and shocked to do anything else. "I guess you were right, Nate."

"What?" he asked, still tense and unsure what to do now. He was surprised she remembered the name he had given her.

"We did meet again." Her smile was rueful, but it was still a smile, so she wasn't going into shock

"I have to admit I didn't think it was going to be so soon, though." Jason said, shouldering his bow.

Her companions had climbed down and were standing behind Charlie. The older blond woman was glaring at him, having the good sense to still be suspicious of him, while the bearded guy still looked upset, looking everywhere for another threat.

"Aaron, Maggie" Charlie said, calling to her friends behind her. "This is Nate. I met him earlier today when I was getting water." Jason put out his hand, but Maggie ignored it, fingering a knife at her hip.

"Thanks for helping out, man." Aaron said, taking his hand and shaking it vigorously. "We really needed it." Maggie clenched her jaw and Jason realized that he hadn't seen the other two attackers.

"What happened to the other guys?" He asked, looking back at the plane.

"I took care of them." Maggie said, raising her eyebrow in challenge, which Jason took to mean "_like I'll take care of you if you try anything." _She eyed him a moment longer before saying they'd better make camp somewhere for the night and walked off. Aaron sighed and heaved his pack back up on his shoulders and followed her, leaving Jason and Charlie still standing there.

Charlie looked up at him through her eyelashes, "Really though. Thank you."

He smiled and dipped his head forward, looking deep into her eyes. "You're welcome."

* * *

_A/N- So I feel like I'm having a hard time getting his emotions up and out. If anyone has any advice or edits, I'd welcome it, but if it is a full edit, pm me instead of reviewing, so I can at least pretend to keep some face!_

_But if you liked it and feel it doesn't need much help, please review and tell me what you're looking forward to! Thanks so much for your messages!_


	3. The Ship Set Sails

_Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! Although I guess it wasn't much of a wait… I did keep my promise. But I just couldn't find a way to get this chapter started, I didn't quite know what to do with it. Luckily, writing Charlie and Jason flirting is lots of fun for me! Remember to review at the end! I may or may not give someone a name in the next chapter if they give a really good review! Thanks!_

* * *

**Trust Comes Easily to Some**

**Chapter 3**

Camp that night was a quiet affair, to say in the least. Dinner consisted of a few apples and dried venison, watered down with what Jason suspected was the water Charlie was retrieving when they met. Plans were made as to the direction they were heading, but they never did say what their destination was. Jason assumed it was Chicago, it was the biggest city in their direction. Jason thought that Maggie was purposefully interrupting anytime she thought Charlie or Aaron were about to say the world Chicago. He was going to have to watch Maggie; she was too street-smart for her own good. Soon Aaron and Maggie were asleep, Charlie having taken first watch.

She sat near the small fire they had built, the flames casting dancing shadows on her face and glinting in her eyes. Charlie looked so along and tired, like she had no one in the world.

"Hey," Jason whispered, catching her attention. "Are you okay?"

She gave a small laugh, but the laugh didn't go to her eyes. "Well, no, not really. I.." she broke off, and looked him in the eyes, trying to decide something. "I almost died today, that's all."

_She still doesn't trust me._ Jason was hurt, even though he knew her suspicion was justified. Here he was, ingratiating himself into the group and in a matter of days he was going to betray them, and Jason was upset that she didn't trust him. It made him feel dirty, unworthy.

"Is that really it?" He tilted his face to side, brows pinched together. "I don't believe you."

Charlie sighed, looking back at the flames. "Those men were ready to rape and kill us just for their own enjoyment. There was no sense to it. We don't have much food or meds, nothing that could tempt them. They just wanted to destroy. And," Charlie huffed a bit, glancing back at Jason "Well that scares me." She finished with another sigh and stoked the fire, embers flying. She didn't look scared. She looked frustrated, like she was angry the world had to be this way.

_She's right though. This whole world is a mess. _Jason clenched his jaw, the muscle jumping under his skin. He thought back to what his father would say at every chance he got, that the only thing keeping the world together was the Monroe Republic. Without it, he would tell Jason, neighbors would kill neighbors, wars and hunger would be rampant, it would be like the years after the blackout.

Jason moved next to her and lifted another log onto the fire. "We can only do what we can. We have to be better than before, we have do what we believe is right, we have to follow orders."

She looked at him sharply with that last part. "The militia is the enemy. They're ruthless and cruel and don't even follow their own law. They pillage and murder and ruin families wherever they go!" She choked, no longer able to speak.

_ She's thinking of her brother and father,_ Jason thought, the guilt from earlier that day resurfacing.

She raised her chin, glaring at nothing and everything. "The world would be better without them and General Monroe."

Jason grimaced, but he couldn't face what she said. It touched too close to what he had thought a few times himself. "But wouldn't the alternative be worse? A land with no order, no law?"

Charlie scoffed, grinding her teeth. "Their laws are _wrong_. No one can have their beliefs; no one can stand up for what they think is right!"

Jason caught himself starting to smile. _She's just so strong, she's not afraid of telling the world that it's wrong. _Her eyes reflected the flames and she looked ready to fight, to _make_ everyone see what she saw. Jason shook his head, trying to remember his orders, everything he was raised believing. One girl wasn't going to change everything he knew to be right. Especially this girl.

* * *

The group set off early the next morning, the morning dew clinging to the plants and trees around them, making their packs wet and heavy. As they hiked, Aaron told them of working at a company called 'Google' and the silly competitions they would have with other companies, and how fruitless it all was as soon as the blackout occurred. Jason found himself touching Charlie at the smallest reason. To help readjust her pack, to help her across ditches and streams, or just accidently brushing her arm with his own. At every instance Maggie pursed her lips and just looked at him.

After helping Charlie jump across a ditch, Jason held out his hand to Maggie, trying to appease her. She just glanced at it and raised an eyebrow.

"So, Nate, was it? Where are you headed?" She asked, challenging him.

"Chicago." He said, using his assumption of the night before, "Hoping to get on a fishing crew." He turned at looked back at Maggie, smiling in answer to that challenge. "You?" She just raised another eyebrow at him.

"We're headed to Chicago, too" Charlie answered for her.

"Charlie…" Maggie said, upset that Charlie would reveal anything to him.

"Look, we have food and I do kinda owe you." Charlie looked apologetic, but not enough to take back the unspoken offer of traveling together.

Jason smiled at her, cursing himself for how pleased he was to know that she was starting to trust him.

"Can you give us a minute?" Maggie asked, clearly wanted to tell Charlie off.

He moved on ahead while they lagged behind, speaking in hushed tones. Charlie's voice sounded indignant, while Maggie's sounded sincerely concerned.

Charlie quickly moved back up next to Jason, rolling her eyes a bit in explanation.

"So why are you guys going to Chicago?" He asked, testing that new trust. He needed confirmation that Miles Matheson would be there, that he wasn't following them for nothing. Matheson needed to be back with the Militia, he was too important to it.

"We.. uh.." She glanced back at Aaron and Maggie. "We're looking for a friend we think lives there."

"I hope it's worth the walk for you guys." He said, grinning, knowing that if he asked too many questions her guard would be back up. Anything to keep her talking to him, laughing and smiling.

"I hope so too!" She grinned back. "How'd you learn how to use a bow like that?" Charlie gestured to the recurve strung across his shoulder.

"From summers in the new forests of Pennsylvania. The forest is reclaiming towns and parks and makes for really good hunting grounds. My friend taught me." He answered honestly. What he didn't tell her was his 'friend' was a militia training sergeant.

Nathan Walker had joined the militia before him because he was a year older. As Nate learned, he passed on the training to Jason when he was 14. Tom Neville, Jason's father, was an officer by then in the militia and encouraged the training, going so far as to hold competitions between the boys in area Jason's age in target practice, wrestling, and hand-to-hand combat. Every single one of those boys enlisted as soon as they turned 15.

"I prefer crossbows, much easier to handle." She said, patting the crossbow on her back.

"Easier, eh?" He said, grinning again. "You do realize it doesn't take as much muscle to draw a recurve as it does a crossbow? I can also reload and shoot in the time it takes you to only draw the string of your crossbow."

Charlie laughed, the smile lighting up her face. "Try and convince as much as you like, but I would rather have something good and sturdy to shoot with then one of those flimsy things."

"What? Look at this thing!" Jason pulled the bow over his shoulder. "Look how thick the limbs are! This bow means business!" He shook the bow emphatically, making her laugh more.

Behind them, Maggie 'tch-ed' her annoyance and continued her conversation with Aaron.

"We'll just have to see who'll win in a fight, now won't we?" She smiled mischievously.

"Yeah, I guess we will!" He grinned, shoving her playfully to the side. "And we'll see me out-shoot you every time!"

* * *

_A/N- Alright kids, enough flirting, y'all have business to attend to. _

_Oh Jason, try as you might, you'll never be able to withstand the smile of a Charlie in the morning! She's like bacon or coffee, just dang addictive. _

_Well, review please oh please! I really do watch my email, just waiting for an email telling me some loving soul has taken it upon themselves to review my work! And make them a good edit! I love it when people give me helpful criticism!_

_I'll be back with a new chapter probably sometime this week (cross your fingers) and we'll see Dear 'ol Uncle Miles! Yay for betrayal!_


	4. Chicago

_Author's Note: So sorry for the wait guys, I promise I tried to write every day and it just didn't work. I had written just about half the chapter when my dad did something to my computer and it crashed, effectively killing my chapter as well as one of my essays for college. Well, this is it! I've finally found the time to finish it and boy is it a long chapter compared to my others. I didn't play with the flirting as much this chapter because I wanted Jason to be more earnest. And Matheson! We get to see Miles finally! I know my writing isn't very fantastic, but I need to get to the goods as fast as possible! Remember to Review! This is important to me! I'm a bit selfish like that!_

* * *

Traveling with Charlie and Co. reminded Jason of camping trips when he was little. The Neville family would pack up snacks and a small tent and drive off to a camping ground in upper Pennsylvania. Everyone seemed to be interested and happy on the surface, while underneath no one was. Everyone in the group was hiding something, that much was obvious, but no one cared. No one was forced to share their thoughts because their worries were either obvious or respected. To dispel this, Aaron would say something awkward, Maggie would roll her eyes and smother a chuckle or two. Charlie, on the other hand would laugh outright, tossing her hair over her shoulder, smiling brightly, even her eyes shone.

The first time Jason heard her laugh he couldn't move. Her laugh didn't tinkle like bells or bubble up or anything stupid like that. Rather her laugh was raw, smoky and _real_. It completely floored him.

"… Nate?" Jason quickly glanced away from Charlie, swallowing tightly.

"Nate!" Aaron's voice woke him from his reverie.

"Woah, what?" He shook his head, trying to dispel all thoughts beside that of the mission. Those other thoughts were too dangerous. "Sorry, I was daydreaming. What do you need, Aaron?"

"Oh, no problem. Do you know how close we are to Chicago? We really need to get there as soon as possible and any help you might have would be great, so.., yeah." Aaron ended lamely, scratching at his beard.

"No, I don't. Sorry, man." The Nate persona took over and smiled easily at him, lies spewing from Jason's mouth. "I haven't been in this area before."

Jason hated 'Nate'. Nate was easy and charming and inviting, suave even. He was, in Jason's opinion, a complete douche. But being Nate had its advantages; Charlie and Aaron were completely taken in, with Maggie coming around. Nate would ask innocent questions and laugh and slowly he was able to draw Charlie's worried look off her face.

"What were you daydreaming about?" Charlie asked, tilting her chin to the side. The light coming through the leaves leaving flashes of shadow and sunlight on her skin.

"Oh, you know, just-"Jason stopped himself midsentence. He turned slightly, looking back at Charlie. God, he hated himself. He had to keep telling himself that he didn't have to lie all the time. That the mission didn't require him to lie about everything. "I was just thinking what if we didn't have anywhere to be, no one to meet, what would we do? Where would we go?"

Charlie raised her eyebrow incredulously, "Oh really?"

'_I'm an idiot'_, Jason thought, inwardly cringing at the awkward, existential question.

She gave a little quirk of her head, pulling her chin to the side before responding. "Surprisingly, I think I'd be doing exactly this." She shrugged a little, pulling her pack more securely on her shoulders. "Wandering, seeing what's out there. This is what I wanted to do before.."

'_Before your dad died'. _Jason finished in his head. He really needed to stop thinking about that. It was the man's own fault; he should have controlled his son. The man was weak.

"Why did you want to travel? Didn't you like your home?" He found himself asking as he swung a leg over a fallen tree.

She glanced over at him as she took his offered hand and jumped over the log, supporting herself on his arm. "My village was nice enough, just really quiet. I was too old to be coddled and too young to have a town responsibility. So I wanted out. This broken country is huge and I plan on seeing it all."

'_Broken country…The Monroe Republic isn't broken and it's the only country you've ever known. She better not be a rebel. I'd really hate to kill her or her friends'._ Jason cast a look up towards Maggie and Aaron. They weren't stupid enough to be part of the so-called 'rebellion' were they?

"Charlie, look!" Aaron called back at them, pointing to the gap in the trees. As the broke through the forest, a huge structure loomed in front of them. It was the Wrigley Stadium. It was crumbling and vines were covering it, but the huge building was still recognizable. They were there. They were in Chicago. And so was Miles Matheson.

* * *

When they first entered the city proper, Jason tried to compare Philadelphia, his home, to the sprawling city of Chicago. Philly was clean and organized with Militia soldiers monitoring the streets. Business shops were kept by smart, professional merchants and the markets made sense. Chicago was like entering a jungle. The entire city was in chaos. Shanties on the sides of the road claimed to be honest businesses and their customers shouted disagreements about quality and price. There was no order. The few militia he saw had dirtied uniforms, patched and worn carelessly. The arrests Jason witnessed were sloppy and often resulted in a fight.

Charlie and Aaron were shocked. They looked at everything with an expression of wonder and disgust. Maggie, unsurprisingly, simply looked about disinterestedly and made her way through the crowd.

As different as it to his home town, Jason found himself walking confidently, casually mingling in the shops. The chaotic rhythm of the city suited something inside him. He felt powerful here, he felt he could handle this city. It held nothing special and no one worth their salt.

Maggie grabbed a small, raggedy boy and asked him to point them in the direction of the Grand Hotel. The boy stuck out a small hand, glaring at Aaron and Jason as if he was daring them to try and push him around. Maggie sighed and placed two coins in his grimy palm. The boy grabbed her hand and pulled her, shoving passersby out of the way.

The inside of the Grand was dimly lit, oil lamps in the corners, and stank of alcohol and unwashed bodies. Men nursing shots of liquor eyed the group suspiciously, some grumbling under their breath. A few reached out and tried to pull Maggie and Charlie to them, but a glare from Jason and they pulled back, cat-calling and whistling as they passed. One or two even tried to come on to Jason, but he simply cracked his knuckles and stepped around them. As they neared the bar he shouldered his bow, making sure it would be easy to draw and fire.

"Excuse me," Maggie asked to the bartender. He turned eyebrow raised. "Maybe you can help me."

The man scoffed a bit. "God, I hope so." he looked Maggie up and down appraisingly

"We're looking for somebody." She said, determinedly ignoring his leery smirk.

"That accent. Lady, you are classing up the joint."

"That shouldn't be too difficult, should it." She said dryly.

He glanced over at her, pausing a moment at the insult before twitching his eyebrow again and continuing to fill bottles of liquor.

Jason glanced over at Charlie. She was staring fixedly at the man, her muscles tense as she focused all her attention on the conversation. She really did need to find Matheson, it really was important to her.

"His name is Miles Matheson." Maggie continued. The name didn't force a response from the bartender, who finishing with the bottle set it down before answering.

He waved a hand and shrugged a bit "Never heard of him."

Charlie stirred finally, a tremor in her voice as she said "No, he has to be here."

The bartender shrugged carelessly, "What do you want me to say, kid?" he smiled a bit and held out his arms as if to show his helplessness. He turned around, grabbing a rag and a few dirty glasses

"Well, if you know him or know anyone that does, will you please tell him that his brother is dead?" The man paused in his washing, back stiffening. "He was murdered by militia." Her voice was soft, as if she still couldn't believe it herself.

The man turned around and gestured to Charlie, "Who are you?"

"Charlie, er- Charlotte. I'm his niece." She looked up at the man hopefully.

He set down the glasses in his hand and thought for a second. "Kay." He pointed to Charlie, "Just you. Come with me."

'_Like hell she will'._ "Oh, wait, Buddy." Jason said, pulling out his large hunting knife, leaning on the counter. The bartender looked over at him, "You're not taking her anywhere." As he spoke, Jason held his knife up, tip pointed at the man's throat.

The man looked down at the knife, unimpressed. Like a flash, the man had grabbed Jason's wrist and held the knife flush against Jason's own throat. Jason glared at him, ashamed. Not many men had ever been able to get the better of him. The man leaned in, "She's my niece. I don't know you." He flipped the knife away and stabbed it into the bar. He looked back over to Charlie and nodded to the door at the far side of the room. "Come on."

Charlie jumped, "Wait, you're Uncle Miles?" She took a step back, staring at her relative.

"Underwhelmed?" Matheson guessed, shrugging apologetically.

"No, it's just-I never expected-" She stumbled over her words,

"Come, on. Not in here." He looked pointedly over at Jason.

So that was General Miles Matheson. The man Jason had been hunting for over a month and he was working as a bartender. Jason watched the man as he walked through the door, not waiting for Charlie to follow him.

The man certainly hadn't lost any of his skills. After seven years out of the Militia, Jason had thought for sure that he would have gone soft, been easy to take down. Jason had thought that taking Matheson by himself would be a matter more of patience than of skill. He'd have to rethink his plan and fast, Charlie would soon come out and he'd have to deal with the entire group.

Jason was certain that he could at least injure Matheson, hopefully enough to slow him down. He'd have to call out for the militia outside, he didn't have the necessary tools to contain Gen. Matheson. Maggie and Aaron stood tensely off to the side, eyes glued to the door. They'd be of little concern. Jason saw how they handled the thugs from before. Poison and adrenaline, no skill whatsoever.

A minute or two later, Charlie burst through the door, alone. She looked upset, she quickly brushed at her eyes before striding up to them.

Maggie shoved away from the counter, "What's wrong?" she sounded motherly, so concerned.

"Nothing. Let's go." Charlie was on the verge of tears again, her voice trembling with anger and frustration.

_What happened, why is she so upset?_ He looked out at the door where Matheson was slowly walking back toward them, taking a swig of whiskey.

"Charlie, what is wrong?" Maggie reached out, but Charlie shrugged out of her arms, pushing Maggie away.

"Nothing, let's just go. Get your stuff-" Charlie frantically grabbed Aaron's pack and shoved it in his arms.

"Hey, hey, wait, what happened." Jason put an arm on her shoulder. She was breathing heavily and wouldn't look anyone in the face.

"Nothing let's just go." She repeated, looking up at him. Jason wanted to punch someone. She was barely holding back tears, jaw clenched so tightly a vein was sticking out on her forehead. She was about to crack.

He looked over her head again. Matheson was looking at the group, chin raised, watching Charlie's attempt at escape.

'_Bastard.'_ For a moment Jason forgot the mission, forgot everything except the fact that that strong, beautiful girl had been hurt. And it was that man's fault.

Jason stepped around Charlie, ignoring her pleas for them to just leave, and strode towards Matheson. He lifted a hand, stopping Matheson from brushing past him. "Hey, hold on." He stepped right up to Matheson, "So what did you say to her, huh?" _'Come on, give me a reason to sink my fist in your ugly face.'_

Matheson simply looked him up and down before grabbing the hand Jason had raised, pulling the sleeve of his shirt down. The 'M' brand stood out, angry against his skin. "Militia, huh? When'd you enlist?"

Jason's knife found itself against Matheson's neck again, and he glared proudly into his eyes. He opened his mouth, about to answer. Jason's training took over, training that all Militia had learned thanks to this man and head butted him in the face, pulling his wrist out of Matheson's grasp. Bow and arrow was strung and drawn in a second, the point at Matheson's heart as Jason backed up quickly.

He found the door and kicked it open. Just before he turned and ran, Jason caught the expression on Charlie's face. Anger and tears had been replaced by shock and confusion. He would probably never see her again.

* * *

_A/N- Well that was exciting. I have to admit. I don't swear at all in real life, but in my head, Jason has no problem at all with that, so I just let the words flow. There are a few I will refrain from, but eh, we'll see. I'm loving Jason more and more. Honestly, ladies, who doesn't? _

_Oh! And if you guys don't know about it already, you MUST watch the AfterBuzz Recap and Analysis of each episode! You can find AfterBuzz tv show at or on youtube! I comment on them a lot and sometimes the hosts point out my comments and talk about them! They're really good too, you get a different feel for the show and for the characters. If you guys want to catch me, my twitter that I used is TheMcCostley, which I've now changed to ThatCostleyGirl. (When Dave would say my username on the show it just didn't sound right so I'm fixing it. Lots of confusion for anybody that pays attention. Probably nobody does, but I do.)_

_Anyway! Remember to review! I love reading them and I love getting them! If you have any question or corrections please PM me, if you have any insights, please post them as a review so others can see! I love you guys, thanks for your support and patience_


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